


In the Shadow, in the Light / Sky Fits Heaven

by amethyst-noir (Arbonne)



Series: Prompt Collection [6]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AU, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bittersweet, Cloak of Levitation (Marvel), Dimension and Time Travel, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Men Crying, Temporary Character Death, Tony Takes Care of Stephen, Wong is the best friend Stephen could ever wish for, it all comes down to magic, the second chapter is just a fluffy coda to make it all better
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2019-07-14 07:10:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16035497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arbonne/pseuds/amethyst-noir
Summary: Stephen loses Tony and doesn't handle it well. A long time later the universe gives him a second chance.





	1. In the Shadow, in the Light

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into 中文 available: [【授翻】于阴影处，于光明中/天空适于天堂](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16716353) by [Clover_cherik](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clover_cherik/pseuds/Clover_cherik)



> I was delighted when I found this in my inbox:  
>  _Prompt: first time stephen cried in front of tony, with a happy ending pls_
> 
> And then I went the overdramatic route and created a whole AU just around this little idea. It was fun! (Title taken from the Enigma track of the same name - _I promise you, for all my life / I'll be always on your side / In the shadow, in the light_.)

Doctor Stephen Strange, neurosurgeon and Master of the Mystic Arts, did not cry. At least not in front of other people. He raged, sometimes he even screamed, he hurt the people nearest to him with cutting remarks and he pushed everyone away - but crying? No. That - just like some other tendencies of his he was ashamed of - was kept private, buried deep beneath the public persona he tried so hard to project to the world and the universe at large.

**

"Stephen! _Do_ something!"

"I… I can't! I tried. Oh God, I _tried_ …"

*

After Tony was… gone… Stephen tried to hold on to his composure. He managed it, barely, until the moment he went through the portal back into the safety of the Sanctum. He almost broke down there, in the middle of the foyer, but he gathered himself, forced himself to banish the memories of the last few hours into the deepest pit of his mind - down were the memories the accident, Dormammu and most of the fight against Thanos were entombed, never to be thought of again.

This time it didn't work.

He found the strength to drag his tired, hurt and useless body up the stairs and into his bedroom. He collapsed onto the bed; bloody, bruised, dirty and with a sense of despair he hadn't felt since the moment he'd woken up in the hospital and realized just how fucked up his hands were. The hands that today couldn't save the life a friend.

Thanks to the exhaustion he fell asleep almost immediately - only to wake up a short time later, shaking and with tears in his eyes. His throat was raw so he'd screamed in his sleep, seeing Tony falling again and again; the same vicious circle as his deaths by Dormammu so long ago.

14.000.605 different timelines and in most of them Tony Stark had died, only in some he'd survived badly hurt and maimed. Stephen had always done what he could, most of the time it hadn't been enough.

He'd chosen the one reality with the most likely chance of success against Thanos, of course, but it also was the one were Tony lived, physically almost unharmed, with the potential for a happy life. Stephen had traded in the time stone for the faint whisper of a hope for the whole universe and his gamble had paid off. If he'd still had the stone today…

Tony Stark lived to become a good and treasured friend. If Stephen harbored some other feelings, deeper than friendship and more like romantic love, he'd never acknowledged them. Tony was happy with Pepper, another good friend by now, and their beautiful baby girl. It was an important relationship in his life and so much more then he'd ever expected to have.

Everything had been almost perfect. Until today, a year and a half after Thanos' defeat, when a stupid little fight against a Kree splinter group combined with a damaged, malfunctioning suit had cost Tony his life because one Doctor Stephen Strange had been to slow to save him.

This time he couldn't block the memories, they haunted him constantly. The tears dried up after a few days but the shadow of loss never left him, despite the best efforts of friends and family, old and new alike.

The regrets piled on, his friends grew more and more desperate as Stephen's risk-taking and low regard for his own well-being took on a whole other level that frightened everyone around him to the core.

**

_I refuse to let you go. **Then bring me back.**_

It wasn't even an act of desperation. He'd left that behind, like so many other things, years, ages, ago. It was just an accident. The Sorcerer Supreme, nearing the end of his life, touching a mirror, an artifact of a long-forgotten time and race, which showed him the hollow, duty-bound shell he'd become. A careless wish, forgotten almost before it had been made.

Magic and science, mixing together. Making wishes come true, playing with realities and timelines. Maybe Tony could have explained it. But then, maybe - probably - not.

_Sometimes, it **is** about you._

**

Stephen couldn't stop crying, no matter what Tony did to try and comfort him. He had his head buried in the space between Tony's neck and shoulder, his arms were around Tony - the hold was far too tight, Tony could barely breathe - and he just sobbed his heart out. Tony held him almost as tightly, careful of the too thin, almost fragile body in his arms, whispering assurances and empty platitudes and promises, stroking over his face and back - everything, anything to get him to calm down. Maybe they could talk then. Tony really, really wanted to know why Stephen had just about fainted when he'd come through the door to the Sanctum.

"Hi, Stephen," he'd said when the door had opened itself by magic. "I know it's late but since I know for a fact that you don't sleep I just thought…" He'd fallen silent when he'd really _looked_ at the man. The personification of shock looked back at him; Stephen had lost even the little bit of color on his face and wait… had he lost weight, too? What happened to his face? A full body tremble had followed immediately afterwards and all thoughts about Stephen's health fled his mind for the moment. Since he was painfully familiar with the signs of shock Tony had rushed over to him, just in time to hold him up when his legs gave out. Their descent to the floor had been graceless but at least Stephen hadn't gone down too hard, thanks to Tony's support.

The clinging and crying had started immediately afterwards and not stopped since then.

"Shhh, Stephen, come on," he tried again. "Try to relax and _breathe_. I'm here, you're here, we're all fine, please, calm down. You're hurting yourself." _And me._ "Ease up a little or you'll break me in half." He was scared. Stephen was always so controlled, almost cold if you didn't know him, and this sobbing mess didn't fit into Tony's worldview. "Stop it!" he finally shouted and pried himself away from Stephen's death grip. "And now," he said as he finally had the attention he wanted, "take a deep breath, relax, and then tell me why you're looking like death itself. You were fine a few days ago." More than fine, actually. Healthy, happy, relaxed in their mutual banter when they'd met for movie night in Tony's penthouse apartment. Now Tony had a physical wreck in his arms - Stephen was in worse shape than after the accident or when he'd come back from a vicious time loop with an interdimensional being. He'd heard the accounts from both Christine and Wong, he'd even gotten the story straight from Stephen's lips one drunken night. He'd never been this… _fragile_. It wasn't a word Tony wanted to associate with him.

No answer. Stephen really looked at him now, as if seeing him for the first time. "Tony?" he finally asked. "Tony Stark?"

Now Tony was _really_ scared. "I was, the last time I checked. What happened to you, Stephen?" He gently tried to wipe away the worst of the tears with the sleeve of his jacket. He succeeded for the most part. Stephen's eyes looked enormous and it was not only an effect of the tears. Tony carefully traced one sharp cheekbone with his fingertips. It was far too pronounced, Stephen's unusual beauty gone, instead he was just pale and emaciated. And older. His hair was almost completely grey and there were so many lines on his face. So much older. A nasty suspicion began to form but he shoved it aside as Stephen instinctively leaned into the touch and his heart melted at the simple gesture of trust. Stephen had trouble holding up his head so he let his hand slip away from Stephen's face to support the back of his neck instead. Tony carefully guided his head down on shoulder again. He had to get Stephen into bed soon. He hated the thought of carrying him, it was going to be hell on his shoulder, but he would manage. He doubted Stephen was in any shape to get the stairs up himself, not even with the Cloak. Where was the thing, anyway? He hadn't seen anything and normally it would greet him almost before Stephen did.

A part of his mind was already busy planning out the next few days: He'd get Pepper to do the meeting with the shareholders and would delegate the senate meeting to Rhodey or Wilson. He had a sorcerer to take care of. He'd get food delivered and banish Stephen to bed and just feed him by hand, if necessary. Hold him, if he wanted to be held. Which seemed to be the case. And where the hell was Wong? And why hadn't he called that something was amiss? Normally Tony was the second person to know when Stephen got stupid; he and Wong had a _great_ rapport.

"What…" Stephen's voice was shot to hell. Hoarse and raspy it hurt to listen to. He cleared his throat and tried again. "When was the last time we saw each other?" He sounded afraid of the answer and didn't look at Tony. Instead he closed his eyes and just… breathed in his scent?

Scarier and scarier. Maybe not something magical but medical? Both? Should he call an ambulance or Christine? Or just drive Stephen there himself, the fear of cars be damned? Get FRIDAY to locate Wong and demand the man to materialize right here and now?

He knew that he wouldn't do any of those things, rationality could go and screw itself. This was magic-related, had to be. The other options were unacceptable. "Three days ago," he finally answered the question. "You came over for movie night, remember? Just you, me, May and Peter since they both wanted to see the 200th Fast and Furious movie and we had nothing better to do. It was fun. We had too much to drink and you stayed overnight. You do remember, don't you?" He was afraid of the answer, grew more afraid when he didn't get an immediate reaction. If Stephen _didn't_ remember what happened just a few short days ago…

Instead Stephen seemed suddenly to be fascinated by his hands. He picked up Tony's hands, first the right, then the left and just stared at them. Tony looked down and tried to see what Stephen saw. It was just his hands, the same as always. "Stephen?" he tried again, finally holding on to Stephen's hands as if this could stop their trembling. How he wished to be able to do that. "You have to talk to me, baby, or I swear I'll take you to hospital right now."

The mention of the hospital had the desired effect and drowned out the before unheard-of endearment. Stephen shook himself out of his stupor and a little bit of life came back to him. "You wouldn't dare."

"I would and I will if you don't start talking," Tony said the same moment as Stephen asked, "Where's your ring?"

 _What the fuck?_ "Ring? What ring? Did I miss something? I'm sorry but right now you're really not helping your case. Hospital, may I remind you?"

Stephen took a deep breath and Tony could watch as the slowly put himself back together. It was amazing to watch. The tears had finally stopped and Stephen seemed to finally _see_ his surroundings. Tony could feel the intelligence behind those mesmerizing eyes waking up again as Stephen shoved aside his panic through sheer force of will. A quick look around, hypotheses formed, suspicions confirmed. The next look the gave Tony was no longer confused or scared but calculating. He didn't answer Tony's question but looked around curiously as if he saw the Sanctum for the very first time.

_Or the first time after a long absence._

Finally, the silence grew too heavy. Tony still needed answers even though he wasn't sure he wanted them. "Where do you come from and where is my Stephen?"

Now he Stephen's full attention. With his head tilted slightly to the side as the studied Tony he looked like a curious cat and Tony had to fight the urge to smile. Instead he stayed still as Stephen touched his chest, right over the place where the arc reactor had once been.

"Here," he finally said. "Me. It's just a jumble of conflicting memories and I'll have to meditate on it for a definitive answer but I can tell you that I'm still the man you dragged to your bedroom three days ago."

Yeah, sure. As if Tony believed that. But at least he remembered the night when the constant flirting and innuendos had finally paid off. Spectacularly. "Yes. And you've aged about twenty years in that time and lost about half of your weight. Try another one, Gandalf. I'm good but not _that_ good." Stephen jerked back, stung by the words, but Tony reacted fast and gripped his hand before he could pull it away from his chest. "I'm not stupid, as you may know, and I recognize heavy magic when I see it - and nothing else could explain _this_." With his free he gestured at Stephen's body as a whole. "And before I start to do something against that I just want to know: Are you still _my_ Stephen or a stranger from another timeline?"

There was another long pause as Stephen did them both the courtesy of really thinking the question through. "Both?" he finally guessed, before nodding. "There are so many things… But I can remember the movie, I can remember drinking too much, you begging me to not portal back home and…" He stopped and _blushed_. It was the most adorable thing Tony had ever seen. He was still wary but decided to throw caution in the wind. Stephen was too confused and quite frankly far too weak to be a threat and Tony just _knew_ that he could trust this man. With his free hand the softly stroked over the unfamiliar face, held Stephen's head gently in place a pressed a soft kiss against his lips.

"Then welcome home, wherever you come from. Or whenever." Time to be practical then. "Can you stand up? I want to get you into your bed before you collapse."

Predictably, Stephen protested. At least some things never changed. "I…"

"You are about five minutes away from breaking down completely and I'd prefer it if I didn't have to carry you up the stairs." He had imagined a lot of things over the last months but carrying Stephen around? Hadn't been one of those things. Iron Man once had to carry an unconscious and bleeding sorcerer from the battlefield and the memory alone was enough to make him shudder. No need for a repeat performance, not ever.

It took a while and a lot of support but together they managed to get up from the floor. Despite Stephen's best efforts Tony had to more or less carry him up the stairs, but at least he wasn't a dead weight and aware enough to be mindful of Tony's bad shoulder. The trek to the bedroom was silent - Tony was busy working out logistics and theories and he guessed that Stephen was trying to collect the frayed remnants of his memory together.

Time travel, he'd concluded. Maybe even something interdimensional but he wasn't quite sure about that one, yet. The Eye of Agamotto was nowhere to be seen and he didn't think Stephen had been here for long before Tony came through the door. _Something else then._ Something strong enough to fuck with a very powerful sorcerer who could protect himself from pretty much everything with frightening efficiency.

Tony needed more data. He had to make plans, had to know what was to come so he could prepare for…

"I can hear you think and worry. Don't. I swear, there's no new Thanos on the horizon, you don't have to run around in circles to try to prepare for the next apocalypse. Everything's _fine_." Moving and speaking was exhausting for Stephen and he was breathless after the little speech. Tony compensated by taking even more of his weight as he led him to the end of the corridor. They were almost there.

Nothing was _fine_. "You're going to tell me. In detail." He took Stephen's silence as agreement.

A whirlwind of red fabric appeared the moment they wanted to cross over the threshold. The Cloak appeared out of nowhere and blocked the door. It even managed to look suitable impressive with an illusion of crossed arms.

"You shall not pass," Stephen whispered, startling a laugh out of Tony.

"Yes, we will. Move away, Red, or do you want me to dump him on the floor? Then _you_ can pick him up and move him to over to the bed because we both know you like him way too much to leave him there."

The Cloak didn't move for a long moment. Then it came closer and inspected Stephen very closely. Then, after another moment of hesitation, it enveloped him in a giant hug. Tony reluctantly stepped away, trusting it to keep Stephen upright, to not be in the way of the reunion.

"You've got so many things to explain," he murmured later, when he and the Cloak together had bundled Stephen into bed. "But first," he continued as Stephen tried to answer, "you're going to rest. Your Cloak here is going to make sure you stay here while I have to run some errands." _And find Wong._

"Stay." Stephen held out on shaking hand. "Please?" he added when Tony didn't react immediately. The Cloak, which had been cuddling Stephen, looked up as if to add its own plea.

Tony signed, knowing what he should do and that he wouldn't do it when Stephen needed him. "Of course." He sat on the bed, cradling Stephen's hand in his. "Relax now, I'm here and I'm not leaving."

He could do most of the things through his phone anyway. He had a feeling he wouldn't leave too soon.

*

"So, what do you think?" he asked hours later, after Wong - recently arrived from Kamar-taj, and confirming that the Eye was still there - had done whatever magic mumbo-jumbo he'd done. It had felt like an eternity passed before Wong answered.

Stephen was still resting, peacefully now that Wong had cast some spell to ease the troubled sleep he'd had before. He was still holding on to Tony's hand as if it was the only thing grounding him. Tony didn't know if it was a trick of the light but he seemed to appear a little bit younger than before. Unfortunately, the light did nothing for the rest of his looks. It was going to be a nightmare to get weight on him again, Tony just knew it.

No, he wasn't going to leave anytime soon and dreaded the moment when he'd have to go to the bathroom. Maybe the Cloak could take over for a minute? Or Wong?

"I think that you were right."

"Great. So much information in one sentence. Could you be a little bit more specific, please?"

Wong just looked at him. Tony gave up. "Okay, I'll get it. We have to wait for him to wake up and tell us what happened, right?"

Tony had his suspicions and they were awful. A glance at Wong told him that they were on the same page. "So, a Stephen from the future which was apparently hell for him. I don't think I want to know what happened to him."

"Yes, you do." Wong's stoic façade cracked for a moment as he looked at their entwined hands. "And I can make a few educated guesses, same as you." He sat on a chair near the bed and watched the trio on the bed. "This is not quite our Stephen," he finally said. "His magical signature is much stronger and different. But still the same."

The words made no sense to Tony but magic seldom did. He still thought that he understood some the meaning behind them, though. "He asked me after a ring. Quite frantically." He looked down at his hands again. "I think he meant a wedding band."

Wong, who thanks to their friendship, had had an almost front row seat as Peppers and Tony supposed happily ever after got down in flames, nodded. "Another reality were she…" He didn't finish and Tony appreciated that. He didn't like to think about it, hearing about it was torture. They were friends now, almost as close as before, but the drawn-out weeks were their engagement and relationship broke apart were some of the most painful memories of his life; not a minor feat considering the competition they had.

 _You need somebody to protect and care for, Tony. I'm sorry but that's not me._ The words had broken his heart and shattered his world but he finally had to accept their truth.

He'd thought that he would never get over her, would never find another human being who would mean so much to him, could be his other half. Looking down at the sleeping man beside him he knew he'd been wrong and the universe had granted him a second chance. He had no idea what he had done to deserve it but he was determined to not let it slip away - if it was not too late already.

"The future from another timeline. Where he got quite a lot more power than our Stephen has so far." Every one of Wong's words made Tony's anxiety worse and the scenarios his mind created at lightspeed got worse and worse. "There's still quite some magic at work here, I can feel it. Whatever's happening to him, it's not finished yet."

"So what? He's lived his life in another reality and then just, puff, appears here and what? Overwrites our Stephen? Sorry, that's bullshit. I'm not giving our Stephen up for some imposter!"

"Not overwritten. More of a… fusion," came a weak voice from the bed. Surprised, Wong and Tony both looked down. Wong's spell should have put him under for hours yet but here he was, blinking up at them. He had trouble focusing his eyes but he zeroed in on Tony after a moment. "Memories of two timelines, mingled together. It's all a mess." He shuddered and his grip on Tony's hand grew as tight as the damaged nerves allowed it to be. "I'll work it out, just give me time." His eyes closed again. "Please, just give me time." There were fresh tears in his eyes. "I swear, I'm still yours. Always have been. _Please_ , don't leave me." He fell asleep again. The Cloak looked up reproachfully before it started to wipe the tears away.

Tony shrugged, helplessly, before batting the fabric away to do it himself. After he finished he pressed another kiss against cool and dry lips. _I love you_ , he thought, admitting it for the first time to himself. _Please, come back to me. We've only just started._ He didn't want to speculate what Stephen's words might mean; he would hear it from the man himself soon enough and could only hope that he would be strong enough to endure them.

"He's right, you know," Wong said. "I swear he feels more like our Stephen than even an hour before, just stronger. And you've noticed his looks. He's getting younger again, as the magic works to reverse his body back to the condition where it should be at this point in time."

Of course Tony had noticed. The color had come back to his hair, the face was younger, less lined - he almost looked like the Stephen he'd kissed goodbye three days ago. But he was still too thin with no sign of that changing.

"That kind of magic, even though it's not his own, is going to take a lot out of him." Damn, was Wong a mind-reader, now? "He's not going to get out of this bed anytime soon and he's going to hate every second of it," Wong continued. He looked meaningfully at them and Tony could feel the weight of responsibility settle around him.

 _Translation: You've got to take care of him. Protect him from himself._ Exactly what Tony had been afraid of. He was shit at taking care of people who needed more than some coffee and a vague pep talk. "So what?" he snapped. "Suddenly you're an expert on magic you've never seen before in your life?"

Wong ignored his outburst. "Look at him. You know that it's true."

"Of course I know! I just don't know what to do with him!"

"Yes, you do and I'll leave you to it. I'll bring you some tea and then I'll be in the library. There are still some books I can look through. When he wakes up call for me. We'll try to get some food into him then." It wasn't the most dignified of escapes but Tony let him go without further comment. He had other things on his mind.

"Thanks, Wong." The other man nodded and left the room, muttering something about "two idiots who deserve each other".

Tony just gave up and folded himself on the bed on Stephen's right side. "So, it's just us three again." He looked at the Cloak, which had Stephen's left. "You're going to help me, right? I've got no clue what I'm supposed to do."

The Cloak rewarded him with a clear "and you think _I_ do?" gesture. For an ancient sentient being it could be amazingly unhelpful. Tony glared at it. It shrugged.

"Feed him, I guess. Hold him, be there for him and try to get him to talk about his life. Haunt his every waking moment until he believes me that I'm not going to leave him." It sounded like the beginnings of a plan. The Cloak seemed to agree and gave him an enthusiastic pseudo thumbs-up before enveloping him, too, in its hold. It was warm and comforting. Tony smiled and decided to try out the words aloud for the first time. "I love you." He gently touched Stephen's face again. By now he almost looked like the man Tony had made love to three days ago. "And I'm here for you."


	2. Sky Fits Heaven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So, this is home now?" Stephen was almost too preoccupied by staring at his surroundings to notice the wide-eyed stare his words caused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short coda. Just pure fluff to counter all the misery. Tony and Stephen, happy and (on the road to be) healthy. I've lamented the loss of the Malibu beach house before so I've decided to resurrect it. Soundtrack/Inspiration: Madonna's Ray of Light Album. _Nothing takes the past away / Like the future / Nothing makes the darkness go / Like the light_.

"So, this is home now?" Stephen was almost too preoccupied by staring at his surroundings to notice the wide-eyed stare his words caused. "Tony?"

It took Tony a moment to gather himself but then he looked _ecstatic_. "Home? I'd like it to be, yes. It's meant as a safe haven for us while you're recovering but if you want to…"

"I want to, yes." Stephen reached out with a shaky hand. "The sanctum will always be my home but I'd love to have one with you, too." As much as he loved the Sanctum, it was also linked to so many sad, dark and terrifying memories from his other life. Sometimes it was hard to look at it without being overwhelmed by everything and he had started to flee to the Stark Tower as often as he could. Where, of course, he was always welcome. Tony took him in with open arms and a sad look. He knew how hard it was to lose a home. Stephen knew that he would return to the Sanctum, in due time, but until that moment came it was nice to have somewhere else to go to.

Tony took his hand, pulled him into embrace and helped him to stay in his feet with practiced easy. An arm around his waist and Stephen could lean into him. He hated the weakness that was only slowly going away but he appreciated the way Tony tried to help him. Only when he asked, never pushing and trusting Stephen to tell him when he needed help to get somewhere.

Stephen was learning to ask, a lifetime of being alone had made him unable to do that even for the simplest of things. It was still hard and thanks to his stubbornness he ended up on the floor on a regular basis but he was getting better.

_I'm getting better._

He reminded himself of that fact each and every day. By now he could not only stand up but stay up for a few hours before exhaustion drove him back to the nearest bed or chair to collapse for the rest of the day. His magic was coming back, too. He could master a few easy spells by now - easy for one half of him, pretty advanced for the other. The discrepancy between his two skill levels, combined with the slowly fading weakness from his time/dimension-traveling, had pretty much immobilized his magic at first and he had to relearn a lot of things. Despite Wong being a great help, and hours upon hours of meditation and training, it was still doubtful if he ever could fully take up his duties again. For the third time in his life he'd lost almost everything but he was determined that it wasn't forever.

Before, he would have fallen into a pit of depression and aggression. But this time he had Tony at his side. The man had been instrumental in getting not only his body but also his spirit back on track. Elaborate dinners - they didn't call them dates, even though they were - had helped him to regain some of the lost weight. The sleepovers with lots of cuddling and talking had done wonders for his soul. Nothing more, not yet, although Stephen had hope that that would change soon. So far, he'd still been too weak and Tony still had to get used to the new and not-so-improved version of Stephen Strange.

Tony had known that he'd chosen a partner with a lot of damage - physical and psychologically speaking - but he hadn't signed up for one with the trauma of the lifetime of loneliness and hurt behind him. Stephen, on the other hand, remembered their slow courtship but he also remembered seeing Tony happily married to Pepper with a wonderful child at their side. He remembered Tony's _death_ and how it had destroyed him. He remembered decades of watching his friends grow old and die one by one while he stayed behind to guard his planet and his reality from countless dangers. He remembered being the Sorcerer Supreme and his longing for it all to be finally be over and be able to find peace, at last.

He also remembered being a newly minted Master of the Mystics Arts with so much in front of him and the hope of a future with Tony Stark and newfound friends and family at his side.

They had to get to know each other all over again, even better than before. They had to be _sure_. By now they were.

"Stephen? You okay, baby?" Tony soft voice broke through the circle of his wandering thoughts and brought him back to the here and now. He smiled gratefully. He hated his newly developed tendency to drift off into the land of memories and comparisons. But he also really, really liked the soft way Tony would call his name to get his attention.

"Just… drifting," he finally answered. 

"Good or bad drifting? No, don't answer that, I can see it on your face." Tony loosened his hold and made shooing motions into the house. "What brings us to house rule number one: We don't bring bad memories here, ever. This is our place to be happy and, in the present, okay?"

 _That's easier for you_ , Stephen thought. _You only have the past, not the future._ "Agreed." He turned around to once again look at the fantastic view out to the ocean and took a deep breath of clean air. After New York it was pure bliss. "It's beautiful."

It was. Stephen had seen photos and videos of the beach house in Malibu, the media had been full of it when it had been destroyed. The old house had been some modern architects dream but this one? The newly rebuild one? Was a mix of old and new and future that screamed _Tony Stark_ and was simply breathtaking. He'd only seen it from the air when they'd approached it by helicopter and now the front but he just _knew_ that he'd come home. Tony had kept the secret until it was finished and he could bring Stephen here. Bring him _home_.

Tony gently pushed him across the threshold. "I'll just give you the quick tour and then you can rest. No, no," he added when Stephen tried to protest. "You've held on all through the morning and now the flight - I know you don't like it but you look like you're about to fall over." Tony hated seeing him like this almost as much as Stephen hated feeling it. It was fortunate that Tony liked his friends independent and strong, no matter how much he liked to care for and protect them, or this would have been impossible. He took Stephen's hand and lead him through the entry hall. "I think we'll start with our bedroom, what do you say?" _Our_ bedroom, no more pretense. Finally. Stephen exhaled slowly, relived that after an eternity of waiting they had arrived at this point.

It was time to be strong. "No," Stephen said. "Show me everything else, first. I'll manage." _Recovery on **my** terms. You've promised me that._ "I'm not going to leave you out of bed when I finally have you there, I promise you that."

Tony gave him a skeptical look but resigned with a nod. After a moment, when he got the real meaning behind Stephen's words he laughed, elated. "Whatever you want, Stephen. You know that. But I get to hold your hand and not only when we're going up and down stairs." He held out his hand, waiting, and winked suggestively.

Stephen could not only live with that, he could live _for_ that. He smiled and grabbed Tony's hand to step into their future.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted [here](https://amethyst-noir.tumblr.com/post/177651239051/prompt-first-time-stephen-cried-in-front-of-tony/) and [here](https://amethyst-noir.tumblr.com/post/177710298851/sky-fits-heaven-ironstrange/).  
> The mirror was not, in any way, shape or form inspired by the [Quantum Mirror](http://stargate.wikia.com/wiki/Quantum_Mirror/) in Stargate SG-1. No, not at all. ;)


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